Back at the scene of wild-card win, lefthander begins Cy Young defense against club he's owned in 4 starts

Dallas Keuchel is starting the Astros' season opener for the second year in a row.

Dallas Keuchel is starting the Astros' season opener for the second year in a row.

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

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Dallas Keuchel left Yankees hitters like Alex Rodriguez frustrated during the Asros' wild-card victory at New York last season.

Dallas Keuchel left Yankees hitters like Alex Rodriguez frustrated during the Asros' wild-card victory at New York last season.

Photo: Al Bello, Staff

Return to New York has Keuchel stoked for Astros' opener

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NEW YORK - The last time we saw Dallas Keuchel on the Yankee Stadium mound, he was spotting a first-pitch cutter to Alex Rodriguez that induced a routine fly out. His six shutout innings on three days' rest would advance the Astros, just two seasons removed from 111 losses, to the American League Division Series.

Nearly sixth months later to the day, Keuchel will return to that same mound for opening day, and much has changed, both for the 28-year-old lefthander and the organization that drafted him almost seven years ago. Lofty expectations surround this year's Astros, so much so that Keuchel and fellow franchise stalwarts Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are seen smiling on a recent cover of Sports Illustrated as the magazine's predicted World Series champions.

Keuchel swapped relative anonymity for the American League Cy Young Award last year. On Monday afternoon, the bearded Astros ace opens his encore season facing the hype afforded to one of the game's top pitchers. How can he possibly replicate his incredible 2015 - the 2.48 ERA, the 1.017 WHIP, the 15-0 record at Minute Maid Park? The answer can now begin to take shape.

Fittingly, Keuchel and the Astros' 2016 season begins in New York against the Yankees, the team they beat in a memorable American League wild-card game, the team that has failed to score against their crafty southpaw in 28 innings dating to August 2014. Further heightening expectations, Keuchel is coming off a spring in which he did not surrender a run.

Astros update: Uncertainty over whether Ken Giles or Luke Gregerson will close for the Astros carries over into opening day. A.J. Hinch was expected to disclose the team's plans for the ninth inning after Sunday's workout at Yankee Stadium, but uncooperative weather forced the team to cancel the workout. ... Lance McCullers (shoulder soreness) is expected to throw another bullpen session while with the team in New York.

Yankees update: Lefthander Andrew Miller, who opens the season as the Yankees' closer, was cleared to pitch despite having a bone in his right wrist broken by a batted ball last week. ... Alex Rodriguez begins the season 13 home runs shy of 700. … Manager Joe Girardi told reporters switch-hitting outfielder Aaron Hicks is likely to start Monday, meaning Jacoby Ellsbury or Brett Gardner would be relegated to the bench.

"It's going to be a great atmosphere," Keuchel said upon the Astros' return to Minute Maid Park on Thursday. "It might even be better than the playoff game - opening (day) in New York. The only place I'd rather be is here."

In his 17 Grapefruit League innings last month, Keuchel allowed just seven hits and two walks while amassing 16 strikeouts. He capped his spring with seven shutout innings of two-hit ball against the Phillies and afterward proclaimed his fastball command ahead of where he thought it would be for his final tuneup.

"I think his preparation has been elite," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. "He didn't give up a run, so it's hard for me to knock really anything that he did in the spring. But I see a focus of another player who's maturing in front of our eyes."

Keuchel comes into Monday with a career 0.90 ERA against the Yankees in four starts, including the Astros' 3-0 win in October's wild-card game. To Keuchel, the images that stand out most from that night stem from the pregame warm-ups - "(The fans) were on me from the get-go, which was nice," he said. "That means they were into the game already." - and just before the first pitch.

Most of the Yankees lineup he faces Monday will be similar to that of October.

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"Every year's different," Keuchel, 28, said, "and a lot of the guys I will attack the same way. But at the same time, they've established themselves as very quality major leaguers, potentially a future Hall of Famer, a couple Hall of Famers, and if you make mistakes they're going to punish those.

"So my game plan is to be as precise as possible. If I am, I think I have the upper hand. If not, they have the upper hand."

This will be Keuchel's second opening-day start - he beat the Indians and 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber with seven shutout innings last April - but so much has transpired in the 12 months since his last one. The first pitch of the bottom of Monday's first inning will be Keuchel's first as a Cy Young Award winner.

"There's nothing that's changed in my mindset (from this time last year)," he said. "It's still the same basic principle, and that's go out and try to give the team the best chance of winning.

"Whether that's going six, seven, eight or nine innings, that's what I'm trying to do. That will be my mindset until the time is up and my career is over."